Judges should have been a Team Leader at a minimum and have extensive knowledge of how Quality Texas operates regarding the applicant process. It would be helpful if the nominees had served as a process coach but that is not required.

Current Panel of Judges

Richelle Dixon – Lead Judge

Richelle Dixon currently serves as the System Vice President, Operations Integration for Catholic Health Initiatives. She began her experience with the Baldrige framework as an examiner for the Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence program. Richelle has served as an examiner, team lead, process coach, training faculty and judge for the Quality Texas Foundation. She is the National President of the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE). Richelle is board certified in healthcare management and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. Richelle received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Masters in Health Services Administration both from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Lauri Crockett – Judge

Lauri Crockett is a finance professional with over 25 years of experience working with corporate and non-profit teams to innovate, improve, and achieve superior results. Lauri’s involvement with the Quality Texas Foundation began in 2001 and includes the roles of examiner, team leader, process coach, and judge. She is pleased to return in her second appointment to the Panel of Judges. Lauri is an alumna of Oklahoma City University.

Keith Kemplay – Judge

Keith Kemplay currently serves as the Director of Performance Excellence of Jason’s Deli as an Advisory Member to the Board of Directors. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Lamar University and a MBA from the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. Keith’s experience with the Baldrige Progam includes roles as an Examiner, Assistant Team Leader, Team Leader, Training Faculty, and Judge for the Quality Texas Foundation. He has also served on the Board of Examiners for the National Baldrige Program.

Nicci Markos – Judge

” alt=”Nicci Markos – Judge” width=”223″ height=”265″ Nicci Markos has worked in healthcare administration for over twenty years as a Chief Nursing Officer, Director of Clinical Informatics, Privacy Officer and currently as Chief Nursing Informatics Officer for a large corporation. Her journey with QTF began as an Examiner, Team Leader and Process Coach. As a Registered Nurse, Nicci worked at Blinn College as a Nursing Instructor and has served patients working on Medical and Surgical units, Women’s Services, Orthopedics, Neurology and Long Term Care. Today, she actively serves nurses as a leader in Clinical Informatics where she oversees technology and the impact it has on all patient care providers. She is a member of HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) and ANIA (American Nursing Informatics Association) and holds an Associate Degree in Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Management.

Stephen Lehocky – Judge

Stephen Lehocky is the Vice President of Operations at National Circuit Assembly (NCA) located in Garland Texas. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and his MBA at California State University Dominguez Hills. He is presently pursuing his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington and is a Lean Six Sigma Master Blackbelt. Mr. Lehocky has served on the Board of Examiners for the Governor’s Texas Award for Performance Excellence as a team member, team leader, scorebook editor and judge. He has also served as a team member and scorebook editor for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. He currently serves as the chairperson for the Lean Certification and Appeals Committee representing the Society of Manufacturing Engineer.

Dr. Paul Machen – Judge

Dr. Paul Machen is currently employed at St. Philip’s College, in San Antonio, Texas, as the Dean of Student Success. His Baldrige experiences include QTF Board of Examiners as examiner, back up team lead, scorebook editor, team lead, process coach, training faculty and judge. Dr. Machen earned his Ph.D. at Kansas State University.

He has over 23 years of faculty and curriculum development experience, having taught at both graduate and undergraduate levels. Dr. Machen is a retired Air Force veteran and has performed in top leadership positions as a Chief Master Sergeant.

Keith Simpson – Judge

Keith Simpson is the Chief Strategist for Austin – Travis County Emergency Medical Services. Keith has been in the EMS industry for over 17 years and has been employed by the City of Austin for 22 years. Keith has been involved with developing strategic partnerships and participation efforts with the newly formed Dell Medical School in Austin in the areas of Population Health. Keith has served QTF since 2007 as an examiner, team leader, process coach, scorebook editor and faculty in examiner training. Keith is a certified Improvement Coach from the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI).

Dr. Cynthia St. John – Judge

Dr. Cynthia St. John is a management consultant and executive coach for leaders across multiple industries, all possessing a common desire to improve their individual and organizational results.

For the past fifteen years, Dr. St. John has served on the Board of Examiners for state and national Baldrige programs. Her involvement with the Quality Texas Foundation has included the roles of examiner, senior examiner, team leader, process coach, training faculty and as a member of both the board of overseers and board of directors. She is also actively involved in the national Baldrige program as an examiner and team leader. Dr. St. John has 25 years of experience helping individuals, teams, and organizations achieve increasing levels of performance excellence.

Robert Vokurka – Judge

Robert Vokurka is a retired Professor Emeritus of Operations Management at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. Robert previously worked in industry holding positions of controller and plant manager at Cooper Industries.

Robert served on the Board of Directors of APICS, the Association for Supply Chain Management, including a term as international Chair of the Board. He served on the Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for 13 years and with the Quality Texas Foundation for 13 years including roles of Examiner, Senior Examiner, Team Leader, Feedback Writer, Training Team, Panel of Judges, and Chair of the Panel of Judges. Robert is a senior ASQ member and holds several ASQ certifications.